Cultural diversity
Ancestry
About this topic
Ancestry describes a person's cultural association and ethnic background, and Census respondents can report more than one ancestry. It is a broader cultural measure than country of birth because it can reflect family heritage across generations.
This topic helps show the size and diversity of cultural groups in an area, including groups whose members were born in Australia. Because multiple ancestries can be reported, ancestry totals can exceed the total population, so it is best read with birthplace, language used at home, and religion.
Interpretation notes
- People can report up to two ancestries, so category totals represent responses rather than a single unduplicated person count.
- ABS advises that ancestry is best used with birthplace and language, because ancestry alone is a broad measure of ethnicity and cultural background.
- The 2021 form added separate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mark boxes, so those categories need caution in over-time comparison.
Key insight
In 2021, the largest ancestry groups among residents in St Marys (NSW) were Australian, English and Filipino.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
St Marys (NSW) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for St Marys (NSW) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Penrith (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for St Marys (NSW), with comparison markers for Penrith (C).
Australian
2021 count
3,120
% of total
23.5%
Change from 2016
-3.3pp
3,120
23.5%
-3.3pp
English
2021 count
2,916
% of total
22.0%
Change from 2016
-4.2pp
2,916
22.0%
-4.2pp
Filipino
2021 count
825
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
825
6.2%
+0.9pp
Irish
2021 count
727
% of total
5.5%
Change from 2016
-2.1pp
727
5.5%
-2.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
616
% of total
4.6%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
616
4.6%
-1.5pp
Indian
2021 count
607
% of total
4.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
607
4.6%
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
556
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
+3.5pp
556
4.2%
+3.5pp
Samoan
2021 count
418
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
418
3.2%
+0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
390
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
390
2.9%
-0.6pp
Chinese
2021 count
298
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
298
2.2%
+0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-145
-3.3pp
English
-280
-4.2pp
Filipino
+184
+0.9pp
Irish
-202
-2.1pp
Scottish
-130
-1.5pp
Indian
+58
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+467
+3.5pp
Samoan
+69
+0.3pp
Italian
-38
-0.6pp
Chinese
+79
+0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for St Marys (NSW). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Penrith (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Penrith (C)% | Count | % | Penrith (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 3,120 | 23.5% | 33.3% | 3,265 | 26.8% | 35.7% | -145 | -3.3pp |
| English | 2,916 | 22.0% | 30.2% | 3,196 | 26.2% | 33.3% | -280 | -4.2pp |
| Filipino | 825 | 6.2% | 3.6% | 641 | 5.3% | 2.8% | +184 | +0.9pp |
| Irish | 727 | 5.5% | 8.2% | 929 | 7.6% | 9.8% | -202 | -2.1pp |
| Scottish | 616 | 4.6% | 6.7% | 746 | 6.1% | 7.4% | -130 | -1.5pp |
| Indian | 607 | 4.6% | 3.9% | 549 | 4.5% | 3.0% | +58 | +0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 556 | 4.2% | 4.6% | 89 | 0.7% | 0.6% | +467 | +3.5pp |
| Samoan | 418 | 3.2% | 1.3% | 349 | 2.9% | 0.9% | +69 | +0.3pp |
| Italian | 390 | 2.9% | 3.7% | 428 | 3.5% | 3.7% | -38 | -0.6pp |
| Chinese | 298 | 2.2% | 2.1% | 219 | 1.8% | 1.8% | +79 | +0.4pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).